The objectives of this project are to elucidate the metabolic functions of dietary copper and zinc. More specifically, the role of copper in the crosslinking of the connective tissue proteins, collagen and elastin, will be studied. Lysyl oxidase has been shown in this laboratory to be a copper-dependent or metalloenzyme. It catalyzes the oxidation, by O2, of specific lysyl residues in the protein precursors of collagen and elastin. The nature of these precursors, i.e. the natural substrates of lysyl oxidase, will be investigated. The critical role of zinc in female reproduction will also be studied. Zinc is a component of many metalloenzymes but its critical role in the reproductive process is unclear. A unifying hypothesis is needed and an attempt will be made to define such a role.